"For every coach who takes the job it's a fantastic challenge. I hope I shall be the one, but you'll have to wait and see."

Despite the 62-year-old's admission that he would like to take the Old Trafford reins, he has insisted that no deal has been reached between himself and United.

"There's no deal yet", Van Gaal said to Voetbal International. "There are newspapers who says that I already signed, and there are even written names of assistants.

“It's a shame that it's going like this. There are more clubs who are interested in Louis van Gaal. We'll see which choice I make and the clubs will make. It's a process, it goes like this at all clubs. I can't say anything about that process at the moment."

United currently lie seventh in the Premier League, and interim manager Ryan Giggs has overseen two wins – over Norwich and Hull – and one loss, against Sunderland, since Moyes' departure.

Van Gaal was immediately installed as the favourite to succeed Moyes, with the Dutchman having won four Eredivisie titles with Ajax and AZ Alkmaar, one La Liga title with Barcelona and one Bundesliga championship with Bayern Munich.